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3/26/2020 1 Comment Happy Spring Break!Do you know the Colorado State Flower!? Draw your favorite state symbol!  Click on my illustration to learn about ALL of the U.S. State Symbols - click on your state! Can’t go outside? Bring the outside in! Accumulating lots of recycling? Let’s reuse it! Need projects for Spring Break? Let’s talk about how and why Arts and Crafts can help (see above and below)! 1. Nature Art for Kids 2. More Nature Art 3. Easy Spring Crafts When working on crafts, kids are presented with options that they get to solve! Let your child(ren) navigate through problem solving (options), retain attention, all the while bringing motivation to self-directed learning by allowing something of interest and providing space to solve individual problems (options)… Problems or options such as, which color do I want to use for my butterfly wings, oh no my butterfly wing broke (how will I fix it?), how can I make these wings symmetrical, maybe my butterfly can fly, let me set up a simple machine to create a flying butterfly! See the hierarchy of thought here?! Being invested in projects allows for opportunities for these experiences to happen…never underestimate the power of Arts and Crafts! Examples of cross-curricular ideas with Arts and Crafts to help throughout Spring Break:
Math - Build a clock out of rocks and sticks, review telling time, count/sort natural objects, use these objects for non standard measurement. Writing - Create a story for pinecone characters! Use your senses to create stories. Reading/Math - Read cooking recipes, allow help with measuring. Social Studies/Science - Gardening, ecosystems, get outside or bring the outside in, allow for curiosity to lead itself into teaching.
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3/25/2020 1 Comment Welcome to the Wild Wild West! "Click me" says the buffalo. Click on the buffalo to adventure through the Wild Wild West and explore online exhibits from the History of Colorado! You can also learn about the ways Colorado continues to preserve habitats for our iconic wildlife:
1. Laramie Foothills Conservation 2. Buffalo Herd Nature Preserve Enjoy! 3/24/2020 0 Comments Left Brain + Right Brain = BalanceFrom simple to complex lego challenges...and a website full of ideas for SCREEN FREE activities to help your kids focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) in a fun way. These are great ways to exercise both sides of the brain!
 ....Because there are too many cheetahs!
Gotta love card games! Card games for fun and card games for learning: Enjoy some Math challenges and card games for all ages Primary through Secondary on Nrich! Also, if you were in my Math class before the pandemic, I encourage you (to all of my students out there!) to challenge yourself with the matching fraction card games as it presents opportunities to compare and order fractions in a fun and challenging way. It’ll be good practice and it will provide opportunities for a deeper understanding of fractions! Other Card Games (Screen Free!): 16 card games that’ll turn your students into Math Aces! Please leave a comment below if you know of any other fun card games or jokes... Why can’t pirates play cards? Because they’re standing on the deck! For those families that need the structure, and for those families that just want the reference. Internet visual schedules in Pre-K through written schedules in 4th. This should give you a reminder of what the school day adheres. May your days be filled with routine and boundaries, but noooot limitations. Enjoy the freedom of self-exploration and being at home for school!
 Illustrated by Ms. Kricket The bare necessities are Mother Nature's recipes that bring the bare necessities of life! Enjoy this back to basics literacy list with reading resources, spelling, grammar and decoding practice! Many of the paid apps and/or website subscriptions are offering free trials during this time. Here are some of the apps/websites I found helpful, and I hope you do, too! Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities...
Please leave a comment if you've found other website's or app's helpful for any age...to help share those bare necessities of life! And, may you jam your worries away with "The Bare Necessities" from the Jungle Book like I did while composing this blog. 3/20/2020 2 Comments Field trip Friday! Just so the kids don’t feel like they’re missing anything being at home ;) Field trips are back! Buckle up and get ready for a rowdy ride...
Below are some adventures I researched. I hope you can have some fun watching your kids take ownership as they explore. Guide them to the site, and let them dive in. 1. Take a virtual tour of the Tundra and explore what life is like as a Polar Bear! 2. Are you a lego master? Enter the Brick Building Contest where kids can create their own works of art using lego bricks; you just submit the form and photo of your creation to enter! 3. Live cams at the San Diego Zoo 4. New York City’s Art Museum of Metropolitan Art lets kids explore the famous museum with an interactive map. 5. Become President for the day and help make good decisions for our country!
Ways to talk with your kids about important topics.... Always provide opportunities for them to understand it, make it relevant to their life. Here is a prime example of a soap experiment (perhaps you saw it on the news!) used to help reinforce the importance of hand washing during this pandemic. One of my former students was so kind to share his experiment with me so I could share it with all of you! I love seeing my students explore, and experiment with the extra time. I hope you try it at home and enjoy the experiment! Also, I hope it keeps the young ones washing their hands for over 20 seconds each time, and ways to keep the seconds long is singing the ABCs or Happy Birthday. And, I’ve learned that you’re never too old to sing… Other Science/Craft ideas: 1. Make your own cartoon using play dough - play dough recipe and other crafts 2. One of the greatest Science teachers I know LOVES Steve Spangler 3. Learn about Climate Change with Nasa 4. Please share if you’ve enjoyed other experiments at home!  Today is a reminder to sing and dance!
3/17/2020 0 Comments Unleash your imagination... Today's illustration inspired by my wonderful teammate! Use your imagination to explore writing. Find a topic of interest, and enjoy the longevity of the writing process: creative, narrative, opinion or informational writing (and in the process your child can learn/research about a whatever he/she chooses!). This writing activity could be up to 2 hrs of fun (research item/play with item, plan story, draft story, edit story, publish story with illustrations).
Simple sentence starters: Creative writing - If I were a dog…My dog and I…When my dog went on vacation and left us at home… Narrative (pretend to be the dog) - My water bowl was empty again…When I saw a squirrel…Treat time? Opinion - What I love about dogs…If I had a dog…The greatest part about…____is better than__ Informational - There are many reasons…Research shows that…Let me explain…Did you know? Other writing ideas: 1. Nursing homes are missing their loved ones! Writing to an elderly in a nursing home could bring utmost joy as they are on a lockdown to all social interactions, thank you Lisa Schofield for your thoughtful idea! 2. Thank you letters to community workers: Governor Polis for helping keep Colorado healthy, healthcare professionals for their endless efforts, family and friends for being socially responsible. 3. Please feel free to leave a comment if you can think of other ideas! |
